On World Tobacco Day say YES to standard packs



Issued by City of York Council

To mark World No Tobacco Today on 31 May 2013 City of York Councilis showing its support for standard tobacco packs to protect our children from tobacco marketing.

The council is calling on the Government to urgently publish their response to the consultation on legislation, which closed over nine months ago, and to introduce legislation to implement this measure.

City of York Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones said: “Acting on standardised tobacco packs will help City of York Council’s aim to reduce the number of children who take up this lethal habit. The introduction of standardised packaging is a necessary measure to improve public health in the long term.”

City of York Council’s Member for Health, Housing and Adult Social Services and chair of the city’s Health and Well Being Board, Councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing said: “In the last year 561* 11 to 15 year olds have taken up smoking in York. This measure could make a lasting impact on the number of young people drawn into a habit which could last a lifetime.”

The consultation on legislation to standardise packaging for tobacco closed over nine months ago, however the Government is yet to publish its response. It is important that a full publication of responses is made by Government soon as we know the tobacco industry has spent millions encouraging hostile responses.

This year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day is “ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”. On the international stage the UK has been world leaders in acting to prohibit the harmful promotion of tobacco. We have the opportunity again to lead the way and implement this policy to protect our children.



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